The University of Denver’s Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute (RMLUI) seeks a full-time Housing and Land Use Law and Policy Fellow with a strong commitment to public interest and social justice who is interested in working on legal and policy solutions to address housing and sustainability challenges arising from our land use system. The Legal Fellow will be housed within the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute at the Sturm College of Law, but will be working in partnership with other institutions and other units of the University of Denver, including the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy, and the Graduate School of Social Work, to support the launch and growth of a new Housing Research Center and to advance an interdisciplinary research agenda designed to address legal and land use barriers to housing access.
College Summary
A national leader in experiential and interdisciplinary legal education, the University of Denver Sturm College of Law is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most innovative and ascendant law schools. The law school features an outstanding and diverse student body, a community of nationally recognized scholar-teachers, an accomplished and highly professional staff, and roughly 17,000 alumni who have achieved careers of distinction in law, business, government, public interest, and other professional domains. Located in a beautiful and economically vibrant metropolitan area, the Sturm College of Law supports a full-time JD program, a part-time weekend JD program, a range of pioneering Master’s programs, and a set of nationally recognized institutes and programs – including the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute (the “RMLUI” or “Institute”).
Institute Summary
Established in 1992, the RMLUI serves as a leading site for research, education, and public engagement relating to sustainable land and water usage, urban and regional planning, climate change, transportation, demographic change, and other developments confronting both the built environment and wild spaces of the Rocky Mountain West. The Institute hosts an annual high-profile conference (Western Places | Western Spaces), co-sponsors an Executive Certificate in Affordable Housing in conjunction with the Burns School of Real Estate & Construction Management at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, and advances significant initiatives in the realms of research, consulting, and training directed to policymakers, planners, lawyers, real estate professionals, and academics.
In the context of housing access and affordability, the Institute is leading an interdisciplinary effort to stand up a new Housing Research Center and is working to identify ambitious, yet pragmatic solutions to today’s most pressing housing challenges, supported by rigorous, action-oriented research. We seek to pursue ideas that can help expand the supply of housing and lower the cost of production; increase access to homes and opportunity-rich communities for people across the income spectrum; align housing and climate change priorities; and improve the outcomes of major housing policies and programs through rigorous impact assessment.
Position Summary
Working under the supervision of the Director of the RMLUI and in partnership with a housing economist, data analyst, and other researchers, the Housing and Land Use Law and Policy Research Fellow (“Fellow”) will be expected to undertake rigorous, timely, and practical legal and policy research on topics aligned with the mission and vision of the Institute and DU’s housing-focused work. Research projects are expected to include (1) development of a research agenda related to increasing housing production in Colorado; (2) evaluation of land use policy reforms and their impacts on housing production and affordability; and (3) additional research and writing in the areas of land use regulation, affordable housing, climate change, competition law, and/or insurance law bearing on housing- and development-related matters.
The ideal candidate will bring experience in housing policy, land use, or real estate and will be interested in research that supports both affordable and market-rate housing production. The fellow will contribute to collaborative and independent research, develop constructive policy and legal solutions, and help advance partnerships, programming, and public dialogue. This one-year renewable fellowship is designed to prepare candidates for careers in legal academia, housing and land use law, or policy leadership.
The fellowship is a two-year appointment. This position is grant funded. The term of the appointment and continuation is contingent on available funding.
Essential Functions
- Scholarship: With the support of the Director of the Program, the Fellow will conduct rigorous, publishable research in the field of affordable housing and land use, broadly conceived. The Fellow will work on collaborate, as well as independent research projects, and will be expected to draft policy proposals, reports, and other written materials to support constructive solutions.
- Collaboration: The Fellow will be expected to partner with researchers at the University of Denver and other institutions to support interdisciplinary research projects, integrating legal and policy analysis with economic and demographic data, spatial analyses, industry reports, and other sources of information. The Fellow will also support communications and outreach that foster broader engagement with DU’s housing work.
- Engagement: During their fellowship term, the Fellow would be expected to participate in events sponsored by the RMLUI, share their research by way of a workshop presentation, contribute to the intellectual life of the Sturm College of Law and the University of Denver, and advance beneficial legal and policy solutions in collaboration with other interested stakeholders.
Secondary Responsibilities
- Teaching/Presentations: In collaboration with the Director, the Fellow will become a subject matter expert and be prepared to present to large and small audiences. Responsibilities might including guest lecturing or co-teaching the Sustainable Cities Practicum, in which students work in teams to address real-world challenges in the realm of land use and sustainability. The Fellow might also co-teach in the Executive Certificate in Affordable Housing, a professional training program offered by RMLUI and the Burns School of Real Estate.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Excellent research, analytical, writing, and oral communications skills
- Outstanding judgment, integrity, dependability, and professionalism
- The ability to function both independently and in a high-paced, collaborative work environment
- Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with an interdisciplinary team
- Ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects and deadlines.
- Strong organizational and project management skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools and aptitude for mastering supportive technologies
Required Qualifications
- Terminal degree (preferably in law) in a field relating to land use and/or housing
- Familiarity with issues relating to real estate, housing, land use law and policy, including issues of equity and sustainability.
Preferred Qualifications
- Knowledge of federal, state, and municipal housing programs or land use regulations strongly preferred. An interest in mastering these areas of law is required.
- Career interest in legal academia; housing or land use law; or law and policy leadership.
Work Schedule
- Normal hours are typically Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. Some evening and occasional weekend hours are required.
- Responsibilities of the position could accommodate a flexible work schedule, including some remote work.
Application Deadline
For consideration, please submit your application materials by 11:59 p.m. (MST) November 30, 2025.
Salary Grade Number
The salary grade for the position is 11.
Salary Range
The salary range for this position is $70,000-$78,700.
The Sturm College of Law will provide the benefits package described below, access to the Westminster Law Library, office space, funding to hire research assistants, and a professional development account to be used for suitable professional expenses, including attending conferences.
The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.
Benefits
The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.
Please include the following documents with your application:
- Resume
- Cover Letter
The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.
All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.